Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111252 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
“Trust me, it’s not for a lack of trying on their part,” Xiang countered with a smirk. “I—” His words stopped in his throat when the loud ticking broke through the clutter in his brain. His head snapped back around and he noticed the ridiculously tall and beautifully carved grandfather clock standing in front of them with its pale face and elegant gold hands as they moved between the numbers.
A clock.
Kai had brought him a clock.
His heart squeezed, and his throat tightened, making his laugh sound forced. “This wasn’t quite what I had in mind. I was thinking a little windup clock I could keep on the bedside table, or even a watch would have been good.”
A delicate snort left Kai, and he shook his head. “In case you have not noticed, you’re living within a dragon’s hoard. That means everything brought into this place is a unique and priceless treasure. The dragon would not permit some run-of-the-mill clock in here.” Kai folded his arms over his chest, his frown deepening. “If you don’t like it, I can tell the dragon. He might be willing to move it to another room while you stay here. He has a lesser treasure room that isn’t as nice as this room. Maybe the clock can be moved there.”
“No!” Xiang threw his arm around Kai’s stiff shoulders and rocked the man back and forth, trying to get him to loosen up. “The clock is gorgeous. It is the most elegant and beautiful clock I’ve ever seen. I will wind it and polish it every day.”
Kai turned his head to stare at Xiang for several seconds, as if he were trying to peer into his skull and read his thoughts. Xiang held on to his smile, his heart hammering in his chest. No matter what Kai said about the dragon procuring the clock, it was sitting there because of Kai. The man had made sure Xiang had a way to mark the passage of time, and he would never forget this.
“Very well,” Kai mumbled. He shifted his shoulders and took a step out of Xiang’s embrace. “For your reference, it is six in the evening on Saturday, the twenty-ninth of July.”
The joy that had filled his chest sank like a stone into the pit of his stomach. If it was Saturday, that meant he’d already been a prisoner of the dragon for four days. In that time, he’d made zero progress on his escape attempts. Zero progress on getting valuable information out of Kai. And zero progress in contacting his clan.
“Thank you for speaking to the dragon and arranging for the clock. It means a lot to me.” Xiang tried to force a grin, but it was hard. “At least now I’ll know how much time passes between your visits.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing.”
“Of course it is. It means you’ll have to visit me more often.”
“Not a good thing.”
Xiang laughed at Kai’s stubbornness, but the chiming of the bells from the clock cut it off, announcing the top of the hour. It wasn’t just that the clock was finely carved, but the delicate chimes were so very soothing, like birdsong on a summer day.
“That’s exquisite,” Xiang breathed. Not only did he have a way of tracking time and day, but he had a genuine work of art to do it with.
“It truly is.”
Xiang grabbed Kai’s arm and pulled him toward the small kitchenette that had been set up. It was the one space within the cavern where he could find somewhat ordinary appliances and even a generator for power. The rest of the place worked on magic.
“Since you’re the one who convinced the dragon to add a clock to his hoard, you have to stay and allow me to cook dinner for you.”
“What? No. You don’t have to. I should be going.” Kai attempted to dig his heels into the thick Aubusson rug under his feet, but stopped when the rug slid across the stone and rumpled.
“Stay. We’ll eat food.” Xiang stopped pulling and leaned in close, eyes narrowed on Kai’s face. “You can eat food, right?”
“Of course! Why wouldn’t I?”
“You might seem like a human, but no one is as strong or as fast as you. I’m not sure what you are. Not a vampire or a member of the fae.” He began walking again, towing a resistant Kai behind him. “Has some of the dragon’s magic rubbed off on you? Is that why you can disappear from the room? You also talk like you’re older than you appear. You look twenty-five, but I’m willing to bet you’re actually much older.”
“I’m not discussing this with you.”
“But—”
“I will stay for a meal with you, but I’ll leave if you continue this line of personal questions.”
Xiang grinned. He’d find a way to crack this nut, but in the meantime, he was happy for the company. For as long as he could remember, his clan mates had surrounded him. There was always chatter and movement. The only time there was a break was during the daylight hours, when he would run errands or roam the grounds, protecting them from potential attack. But even then, he could always venture a short distance and check on them.